The European Games are often called the Continental Olympiad. This is not surprising: thousands of the best athletes from different countries who compete in many sports come to the multisports forum, tens of thousands of fans come to the host country ... The European Games in Minsk will be only second in history.
While it is still quite young competitions, but some of the customs that are familiar to the Olympic Games, they have successfully taken root. II European Games will start in Minsk on June 21. On the same day, the “Flame of Peace” torch relay will be completed at the Dynamo Stadium.
The tradition to light a fire that goes out at the closing of the Games, the European sports forum took over from the Olympic. The roots of it go back to ancient Greece - it was believed that the Olympic flame reminded of the feat of titanium Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole the fire from Zeus and presented it to people. In modern history, the ancient tradition was revived at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
True, the fire burned only in a special bowl above the main stadium, and the first Olympic torch relay passed before the opening of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin: then each of the torchbearers - and there were 3.422 - ran one kilometer from the Greek city of Olympia to Berlin, passing each friend torch.
The first torch relay of the European Games took place four years ago in Azerbaijan. The flames lit the Ateshgah fire in the temple, 30 kilometers from Baku, after which in 47 days they carried it to all corners of the country. Over a thousand torchbearers were attracted to the relay, and fire festivals were held in each region.
The flame of the II European Games will light up in Rome on May 3, and its route will be very interesting and intense.
The fire will be lit in the unique Altar of the World museum in the capital of Italy and there they will also present the symbol of the action - the olive tree. After that, the flame will go to the north of the country, where the Belarusian climbers will climb with him to Mont Blanc. In order not to extinguish the fire in conditions of low temperatures, gusting wind and discharged air, it will be “packed” into a special lamp.
After Mont Blanc, the Flame of Peace II European Games will be picked up by bikers. The route will pass through six European countries - Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. The route by which the caravan will carry fire through the territory of Belarus has already been determined. The flames will travel to all regions of the country — six days in each of the regions.
More information about the European Games, ticket prices, accommodation and excursions during the games can be found here.
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